Tag Archives: Swaziland

According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, Swaziland is a small, landlocked country located in southern Africa. It is home to approximately 1.2 million people and has a long history of educational development. Prior to gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1968, Swaziland had very limited educational opportunities and its literacy rate was one of the lowest in the world. In the years after independence, Swaziland’s government made significant investments in education as part of its efforts to modernize the country’s economy and improve living standards for its citizens. Primary education was made free and compulsory for all children between 6-14 years old and secondary education was also made more accessible. The number of primary schools increased dramatically over the next few decades, from just over 400 in 1968 to over 1,200 by 2000. The government also invested heavily in teacher training programs to ensure that students were receiving a quality education. By 2009, there were approximately 8,000 trained teachers working in Swazi schools. These teachers were mostly employed at government schools but some private schools also hired them on a contract basis. At the tertiary level, Swaziland had two universities – The University of Swaziland (established 1980) and The Southern African Nazarene University (established 1997). Both universities offered courses across various academic fields such as agriculture, business administration and engineering. Over time, these investments in education have paid off with an increase in literacy rates amongst adults from 44% in 1968 to 83% by 2009. This rise was due largely to improved access to quality educational opportunities at all levels as well as significant investment by the government into primary and secondary schooling since independence. Swaziland is a small, landlocked country located in southern Africa. In 2009, it had a population of approximately 1.2 million people and was ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarchy. The country was surrounded by South Africa to the north, west and south and Mozambique to the east. Politically, Swaziland had been part of the British Empire since the early 19th century when it became a British protectorate in 1903. After gaining independence from Britain in 1968, Swaziland was a member of several international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and Commonwealth of Nations (CNA). In terms of foreign policy, Swaziland maintained cordial relations with its neighbours. The country also enjoyed good relations with many other countries around the world including France, Germany, India and China. These relationships provided Swaziland with opportunities for diplomatic engagement on global issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention, trade liberalization and poverty reduction. In 2009, Swaziland had signed several bilateral trade agreements with other countries including South Africa and Mozambique. The country also received significant financial aid from international donors such as the World Bank and European Union (EU). This aid was largely used to fund social services such as healthcare and education at both primary and tertiary levels. The economy of Swaziland in 2009 was largely based on agriculture but there were also some light industries present in certain regions such as manufacturing textiles or processing sugar cane into ethanol fuel for export markets. The government encouraged foreign investment into these industries through tax incentives or subsidies for local businesses.